Pivot: Empowering Trafficked Victims

Pivot is a tool that provides rescue information to human trafficking victims without detection by their perpetrators. Hidden inside ordinary-looking sanitary pads is this water-soluble insert that presents victims with a national trafficking rescue hotline. Victims access the insert in the privacy of a restroom, detach the phone number (disguised as a fortune-cookie tab), and flush the rest. This project significantly reduces the risks women face when possessing rescue literature and engaging with victim service providers.

Pivot: Empowering Trafficked Victims

Pivot is a tool that provides rescue information to human trafficking victims without detection by their perpetrators. Hidden inside ordinary-looking sanitary pads is this water-soluble insert that presents victims with a national trafficking rescue hotline. Victims access the insert in the privacy of a restroom, detach the phone number (disguised as a fortune-cookie tab), and flush the rest. This project significantly reduces the risks women face when possessing rescue literature and engaging with victim service providers.

Inserts are contained within ordinary feminine pad packaging, much like pads that are already being distributed in many health clinics and outreach centers across Seattle.

Inside each pad contains hidden messaging, which is printed with information about accessing help.

Instructions are printed on paper inserts that are water-soluble so that users can easily and safely dispose of information.

Tear-offs containing the help hotline phone number are disguised as a fortune cookie fortune with lucky numbers.

I designed this interactive poster for a lecture event that presented Pivot to students and professionals at the University of Washington.

The poster's image is created from halftone dots that were laser-cut from the top layer of the poster. This image is mostly unrecognizable until viewing it from far away. When viewing it up close, the viewer can see messaging revealed from the layer underneath.

It was inspired by one theme of our research—"peeling back the layers," in order to learn the truth about human trafficking.

Jury video from the 2014 IxDA Awards, where Pivot was awarded "Best in Empowering" category.